Once upon a time,
the Enlightenment Being was born as the son of the King and Queen
of Benares. On the day of his naming, 800 fortune tellers were invited
to the palace. As presents, they were given whatever they desired
to make them happy for the moment. Then they were asked to tell the
fortune of the newborn prince. This was so they could find a good
name for him.

One of the fortune
tellers was an expert in reading the marks on the body. He said, "My
lord, this is a being of great merit. He will be king after you."

The fortune tellers
were very clever. They told the king and queen whatever they wanted
to hear. They said, "Your son will be skilled in five weapons.
He will become famous as the greatest master of all five weapons throughout
India." Based on this, the king and queen named their son 'Prince
Five-Weapons'.

When the prince
turned 16, the king decided to send him to college. He said, "Go,
my son, to the city of Takkasila. There you will find a world famous
teacher. Learn all you can from him. Give him this money as payment."
He gave him a thousand gold coins and sent him on his way.

The prince went
to the world famous teacher of Takkasila. He studied very hard and
became his best pupil. When the teacher had taught him all he knew,
he gave the prince a special graduation award. He gave him five weapons.
Then he sent him back to Benares.

On his way home
he came to a forest which was haunted by a monster. The local people
warned Prince Five-Weapons, "Young man, don't go through the
forest. There is a monstrous demon called Sticky-Hair living there.
He kills everyone he sees!"

But the prince
was self-confident and fearless like a young lion. So he pushed on
into the forest, until he came to the dreadful monster. He was as
tall as a tree, with a head as big as the roof of a house and eyes
as big as dishes. He had two big yellow tusks sticking out of his
gaping white mouth filled with ugly brown teeth. He had a huge belly
covered with white spots, and his hands and feet were blue.

The monster roared
and growled at the prince, "Where are you going in my forest,
little man? You look like a tasty morsel to me. I'm going to gobble
you up!"

The prince had
just graduated from college and had won the highest award from his
teacher. So he thought he knew just about everything, and that he
could do just about anything. He replied, "Oh fierce demon, I
am Prince Five-Weapons, and I have come on purpose to find you. I
dare you to attack me! I will kill you easily with my first two weapons
- my bow and poison-tipped arrows."

Then he put a
poison arrow in his bow and shot it straight at the monster. But the
arrow just stuck fast to his hair, like glue, without hurting him
at all. Then the prince shot, one after another, all the rest of his
50 poison-tipped arrows. But they also stuck fast to the hair of the
one called Sticky-Hair.

Then the beast
shook his body, from ugly rooftop-sized head to blue coloured feet.
And all the arrows fell harmlessly to the ground.

Prince Five-Weapons
drew his third weapon, a 33-inch-long sword. He plunged it into his
enemy. But it just stuck fast in the thick coat of sticky hair. He
threw his fourth weapon, his spear, at the monster. But this too just
stuck to his hair.

Next he attacked
with the last of his five weapons, his club. This also stuck fast
onto Sticky-Hair.

Then the prince
yelled at him, "Hey you, monster - haven't you ever heard of
me, Prince Five-Weapons? I have more than just my five weapons. I
have the strength of my young man's body. I will break you in pieces!"

He hit Sticky-Hair
with his right fist, just like a boxer. But his hand just stuck to
the hairy coat, and he couldn't remove it. He hit him with his left
fist, but this too just stuck fast to the gooey mess of hair. He kicked
him with his right foot and then his left, just like a martial arts
master. But they both stuck onto him like his fists. Finally he butted
him as hard as he could with his head, just like a wrestler. But,
lo and behold, his head got stuck as well.

Even while sticking
to the hairy monster in five places, hanging down from his coat, the
prince had no fear.

Sticky-Hair thought,
"This is very strange indeed. He is more like a lion than a man.
Even while in the grasp of a ferocious monster like me, he does not
tremble with fear. In all the time I've been killing people in this
forest, I've never met anyone as great as this prince. Why isn't he
afraid of me?"

Since Prince Five-Weapons
was not like ordinary men, Sticky-Hair was afraid to eat him right
away. Instead he asked him, "Young man, why aren't you afraid
of death?"

The prince replied,
"Why should I be afraid of death? There is no doubt that anyone
who is born will definitely die!"

Then the Enlightenment
Being thought, "The five weapons given to me by the world famous
teacher have been useless. Even the lion-like strength of my young
man's body has been useless. I must go beyond my teacher, beyond my
body, to the weapon inside my mind - the only weapon I need."

The prince continued
speaking to Sticky-Hair, "There's one small detail, oh monstrous
one, I haven't told you about yet. In my belly is my secret weapon,
a diamond weapon you cannot digest. It will cut your intestines into
pieces if you are foolish enough to swallow me. So if I die - you
die! That's why I'm not afraid of you."

In this way the
prince used his greatest inner strength in a way Sticky-Hair could
easily understand. He knew this greatest of all weapons, the one inside
his mind, was the precious diamond gem of his own intelligence.

Sticky-Hair thought,
"No doubt this fearless man is telling the truth. Even if I eat
as much as a pea-sized tidbit of such a hero, I won't be able to digest
it. So I will let him go." Fearing his own death, he set Prince
Five-Weapons free.

He said, "You
are a great man. I will not eat your flesh. I let you go free, just
like the moon that reappears after an eclipse, so you may shine pleasantly
on all your friends and relatives."

The Enlightenment
Being had learned from his battle with the monster Sticky-Hair. He
had learned the only worthwhile weapon is the intelligence inside,
not the weapons of the world outside. And with this diamond weapon
he also knew that destroying life brings only suffering to the killer.

In gratitude,
he taught the unfortunate demon. He said, "Oh Sticky-Hair, you
have been born as a murderous blood sucking flesh eating demon because
of unwholesome deeds in your past. If you continue killing in this
way, it will lead only to suffering for you - both in this life and
beyond. You can only go from darkness to darkness.

"Now that
you have spared me, you won't be able to kill so easily. Hear this
- destroying life leads to misery in this world, and then rebirth
in a hell world, or as an animal or a hungry ghost. Even if you were
lucky enough to be reborn as a human being, you would have only a
short life!"

Prince Five-Weapons
continued to teach Sticky-Hair. Eventually the monster agreed to follow
the Five Training Steps. In his way he transformed him from a monster
into a friendly forest fairy. And when he left the forest, the prince
told the local people about the change in the one-time demon. From
then on they fed him regularly and lived in peace.

Prince Five-Weapons
returned to Benares. Later he became king. Finally he died and was
reborn as he deserved.